What You Must Do After Having Unprotected Sex With HIV Patients

Exposure to unprotected sex is one of the most common means of getting infected with HIV/AIDS.

People could be exposed to unprotected sex voluntarily by deciding to have sex without the use of a condom with their husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, or more.

Unprotected sex can be involuntary when one is raped or sexually assaulted, which could result in the transmission of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS and more.

Related: Sex Tips: How To Properly Use A Condom

One could get scared of contracting HIV/AIDS after exposure to sex without protection and since a test conducted within 24 hours of having unprotected sex cannot accurately detect the virus until the timeframe of 45 days known as the “window frame,” the best option is carrying out the Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

What Is The Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)?

The PEP is treatment a patient is administered shortly after exposure to a suspected carrier of the HIV/AIDS virus.

It takes four weeks to effectively carry out this routine, and the patient must be consistent with scheduled visits to the doctor.

During the PEP period, the patient is advised to abstain from unprotected sex and be careful about the use of sharp objects capable of transmitting the virus to others.

For new mothers, breastfeeding is not advised during PEP to protect the child in case the mother is a carrier of the virus.

Prior to the start of the PEP, an HIV test is conducted to be certain about the status of the patient.

After the four-week period of PEP, another test is conducted to find out the HIV status of the patient.

It is advisable that people exposed to HIV carriers commence PEP within 24 hours after exposure to prevent the virus from penetrating into the body system.